Washington. No one in the White House will openly say that next Tuesday Joe Biden will announce his 2024 re-election campaign. And at the same time, no one will say he won’t. Including Biden himself.
Asked on Friday if he was going to announce his candidacy, the president simply replied: “I don’t know.”
The main American media, led by The Washington Post, cited multiple anonymous sources on Thursday night assuring that Biden, 80, will formally announce his candidacy next week. Possibly Tuesday.
However, in the past, Biden’s entourage has often hinted at an imminent announcement that never quite materializes.
It happened in January, February and early April. This month, the average Axios he cited more unnamed sources saying the decision could take months.
The most recent speculation is different in its specificity and imminence. So far, no one, anonymous or otherwise, is denying that this is true.
Tuesday is the anniversary of the day in 2019 that Biden launched the campaign that ultimately led to the defeat of Donald Trump in 2020.
The symbolism of a new ad, particularly when the main contender at the moment is Trump, would be stronger.
politically friendly calendar
There is no mention of election events on the White House calendar for Biden next week. However, an announcement would fit very well into his schedule, especially if it is a video address, as the media has reported it will be.
On Monday, Biden will preside over the ceremony that awards the teachers of the year. She will also receive three Democratic congressmen from Tennessee whose demand for greater gun control in the state legislature aroused national interest in the frustration of incessant shootings.
Public education and gun control efforts are two of Biden’s priorities.
On Tuesday, possibly the day he announces his re-election bid, he will address at a union conference what is expected to be a recurring theme of his campaign: how his administration is “reclaiming industry jobs” and “rebuilding the middle class.” .
Then on Wednesday, he will host South Korean President Yook Suk Yeol for a state dinner. The event will highlight Biden’s bold attempts to strengthen American foreign policy by restoring alliances that were broken by Trump.
“Not from this dais”
Faced with any questions about Biden’s possible re-election race, the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, takes refuge in the Hatch Law, which prohibits federal employees from getting involved in political campaigns.
“I know there’s quite a bit of interest in this. Obviously I get it, the questions about this, the news that we’ve seen in the last 24 hours,” he said at the start of his daily presentation on Friday.
“As far as it has to do with the president’s plans for 2024, I just want to say … federal law prohibits me from speaking on related issues from this dais.”
His attempt to discourage journalists from delving into the subject sparked creative ways of asking the question.
“Does the president have any plans to celebrate the fourth anniversary of his campaign ad?” asked one.
“Who could answer questions about 2024?” another launched.
“Not a question about 2024, not the Hatch Law type,” another pointed out, causing Jean-Pierre to laugh and his subsequent retort: ”That’s what you think.”
“I have nothing to say about 2024,” Jean-Pierre summed up. “It’s not something that’s coming off this dais anyway.”
